South African Team for the World Surfing Games announced

Dale Staples

Surfing South Africa has announced the names of the surfers who will represent South Africa at the 2013 ISA World Surfing Games in Santa Catalina, Panama from May 4 – 12.

The six members of the team are Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), Mike February (Kommetjie), Davey Brand (Kommetjie), Tanika Hoffman (Clifton) and Faye Zoetmulder (Cape St Francis). Etienne Venter (Jeffreys Bay) will take the team over to Panama as Manager/Coach.

The average age of the group is 22 but despite their youth all of them have competed at international level in the past nine months.

The last ISA World Surfing Games were held at Playa Venao in Panama in 2011. South Africa finished 7th overall that year but the 2013 team will be determined to improve on that position as they take on surfers from more than 32 nations at the long right-breaking point break in Santa Catalina. South Africa must finish in the top eight to be invited to compete in the 2014 ISA China Cup in Hainan Province, China in January 2014.

At this stage a lack of sponsors and funding means that team members will have to raise the R25 000 or so to make the trip to an event that is regarded as the “Olympics” of surfing. With less than four weeks to go before the World Games gets under way they have limited time to book flights and accommodation.

Over 32 countries from five continents will compete in the 2013 ISA World Surfing Games, a biennial event which determines the ISA World Team champions as well as the Men’s and Women’s Championship titles. The top eight teams will also contest the Aloha Cup and will be fighting for international team rankings.